Knitting machine



Jan. 26, 1937. R. H. LAWSON 6 KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed Dec. 21, 1929 5 sh ts-sheet l 1 I a FIG. 8.

3nventor I 5 l w i Bu R03ERTHLAWIS'0JK =4 n (Zktorncg Jan. 26, 1937. R. H. LAWSON KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed Dec. 21, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet2 A 3nventor: RoBERT/ LAwsoAg Ctttorneg Jan. 26, 1937.

R. H. LAWSON KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed Dec. 21, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Bnuentor R0521? THZA wsozy;

attorney Patented Jan. 26, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE KNITTING MACHINE Robert H. Lawson, Pawtucket, R. 1., assignor to Hemphill Company, Central Falls, R. I., a corporation of Massachusetts 4 Claims.

This invention relates to knitting machines of the type having needles independently movable to and from yarn taking positions. The present invention although disclosed as applied to a circular knitting machine is not necessarily and in all respects so limited. Furthermore, although shown as applied to a so-called body machine having a plurality of feeding stations the principle of the invention is equally Well adapted to be used in connection with a hosiery knitting machine.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view in section showing a needle and an adjacent sinker drawing a stitch;

Fig. 2 is a detail view of the sinker raising cam;

Fig. 3 is a view, greatly enlarged, showing successive positions assumed by the needles and adjacent sinkers during the drawing of the stitches;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view partly in section, of the means for controlling and guiding the sinkers, one such sinker and the butts of some of the sinkers being shown;

Fig. 5 is a view of the cams for controlling the needles in their movements to .and from thread taking position, the arrow representing the direction of movement of the needles with relation to the cams;

Fig. 6 is a detail view in section, taken along the line 6-6, Fig. 5, showing the means employed for adjusting the length of stitch;

Fig. '7 is a sectional view taken along the line 1-1, Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a view in section showing a modified form of sinker.

The relatively fixed parts of the machine include a cylinder I fast to a bracket 2 carried by a circular base 3. A needle cylinder 4, grooved to receive therein needles 5, is mounted upon and carried by a ring gear plate 6 having a spur gear 1 driven by other gearing (not shown). The circular base 3 is recessed as at 8 to provide a suitable bearing for the relatively rotating ring gear 6. Seated within a second recess 9 in the said circular base and above the first recess is a cam ring I0, connected to the circular base 3, surmounting the ring gear 6 and serving to provide an additional bearing therefor. Adjacent to the needle cylinder 4 the cam ring I0 is provided with an upright extension or flange I l which carries draw cams l2, stitch cams l3 and additional guide cams l4, and 15. The cam ring H] has connected thereto, at intervals, upright posts or brackets IS the upper ends of which are connected to and support the sinker cap consisting of a ring or plate I1, directly connected to the bracket NS, and a supplemental ring or plate l8 mounted upon and connected to the ring ll. Sinker actuating cams l9 and 20 attached to the ring l8 radially advance and retract sinkers 2! having butts 2|, which sinkers are slidably mounted in tricks or grooves 22 cut in a sinker head 23; the sinkers 2| adjacent to the needle cylinder being guided in their radial movements by removable walls 24 which take the place of the stitch ring commonly used in hosiery machines of the type disclosed in the patent to Hemphill, 933,443, Sept. 7, 1909. The walls 24 are provided with upper edges 24' which function in a manner hereinafter to be described.

Knitting machines provided with a plurality of feeding stations to knit a plurality of courses during each rotation of the cam or needle cylinder are provided with means to adjust the stitch cams at each of the feeds so that a uniform stitch may be knit throughout at the several feeds. Such a cam adjusting means is specifically disclosed in Figs. 5, 6, and '7 wherein a draw cam I2 and stitch cam 13 are shown connected to a post 25, the cam 12 being connected thereto as by screws 26, and the cam l3 by screws 21. Attached to and projecting from the post 25 are studs 28 and 29, received within and projecting beyond the respective elongated slots 30 and 3| provided in a ring or plate 32 attached to and forming a part of extension ll of the cam ring II). An eccentric 33 is carried by a hollow shank 34 the other end of which carries a knurled head 35, the eccentric when turned by means of head 35 being adapted to raise or lower the post 25, and consequently the cams l2 and I3, by engaging the projecting portions of the studs 28 and 29. To lock the eccentric in an adjusted position a knurled headed set screw 35, passing axially through the shank 34 and head 35 and into threaded engagement with the ring 32, is provided with a hub 31 which engages with the outer face of the head 35 thereby preventing the latter from turning and changing the setting of the cams I 2, and I3. In order to adjust the length of stitch, the locking screw 36 is turned to release its hub 31 from engagement with the head 35 and the head 35 is then turned in one direction or the other, either to draw a shorter stitch or a longer stitch as may be required.

When properly adjusted the head 36 is again turned until its hub 31 engages the outer face of the head 35 to prevent the latter from turning. At 38, Fig. 8, indications are cut in or marked on the surface of the ring 32; and, by means of an indentation or marking 39 on the stud 28, the

cams l2 and I3 may be set and maintained in a desired adjusted position.

In order that the sinker head 23 and sinkers carried thereby will rotate in time with the needle cylinder, the sinker head 23 is fastened to a ring 4!] provided with internal teeth 5! in mesh with the tricks or grooves of the needle cylinder 5, whereby rotary movements of the needle cylinder will be communicated to the sinke er head 23 by the ring 4! A recess or cut-out 52 in the ring I? provides a horizontal bearing 43 for the ring 40, the vertical wall 44 constituting a thrust bearing for the ring G0 and attached sinker head 23.

The butts 2| of the sinkers 2! are engaged and actuated by the sinker cams l9, and 20, the cam I9 being adapted to retract the sinkers and the cam 20 to project them. After retraction of each of the sinkers by the cam 19, the cam 55 of the cam plate 46 carried by and forming part of the cylinder I enters within the throat of each sinker, and thereafter upon continued rotation of the needles and sinkers, the cam 41 successively engages and raises each sinker as the needles are successively engaged and depressed by the draw cam l2. In Fig. 3 the needles and companion sinkers are shown in their successive relative positions as they draw the stitches. The thread 48, fed to the needles from a position thereabove, assumes a position inclined to the horizontal until taken by the needles at about the position A. The needles at the position A have the thread 48 in their hooks, while the adjacent sinkers at A just touch the thread. Immediately thereafter in the knitting cycle the needles at B are fully lowered and the sinkers immediately in advance thereof at B are fully raised, the stitches being completely drawn or measured as the sinkers successively move from position A to position B and the needles from position A to position B. The needles at position C, in advance of position B, are partly raised, while the needles at D are fully raised, and the adjacent sinkers at C and D are substantially at the highest point of elevation. When the sinkers successively reach position C a cam 20' of the cam plate 20 engages the sinker butts 2i and advances the sinkers thereby causing them to knock the old stitches over the tops of the needles, the needles at such t mes being slightly raised as at C to relieve the stitches and permit the sinkers to knock over the old stitches.

In'Figs. 3 and 5, the stitch drawing cam i2 is shown as being provided with a flat portion 2 at the lowest point of the cam. The said fiat portion l 2' is of such a length that, throughout the knitting of a fabric, more than one needle (two being herein shown) ride along the flat portion of the said cam I2. the two needles being at the level or position B, Fig. 3; while a needle at the position C, which needle has just passed the said flat portion i2, rides up the incline of the cam l3 in which position the stitches are relieved to a sufiicient extent to permit sinkers, when they reach the position 0', to knock the stitches over such needles at position C. Thereafter in the knitting cycle the needles are further raised by the cam l3 until they reach the highest point of elevation as at D.

By dividing the stitch drawing between the sinkers and needles, in the manner described it is not necessary to move the needles, as they cooperate with the sinkers in drawing the stitch, at a forty-five degree angle such as usual in Banner and similar knitting machines. As shown in Fig. 5 the needle butts, as the needles are moved in the direction of the arrow by the rotation of the needle cylinder, engage with and are depressed by the leading surface or edge of the cam l2 and are thereby depressed to their lowermost, stitch forming positions. The said leading surface or edge of the cam l2 makes an angle of about thirty-five degrees, more or less, with the horizontal, Fig. 5. The depression of the needles by the said cam permits a greater speed of rotation of the needle cylinder than would be practicable if the leading edge or surface of the cam were arranged at an angle of forty-five degrees with the horizontal.

At each feed station the cams I2, I3, I 4, and it are duplicated, a. complete cam block or section being shown in Fig. 6, as well as other cams l2, and I3 pertaining to an adjacent feed station.

As aforesaid each stitch is completely drawn and the stitch length thereby determined between the two needle positions A and B and between the two sinker positions A and B. I Furthermore the stitch drawing is mainly due to the raising of each sinker by the incline or cam l? of cam plate 46, the needles playing a-relatively small part in the drawing of the stitches.

Referring to Fig. 3, it will be noted that more than one sinker remains at substantially the highest, stitch drawing level thereby preventing robbing by the needles, as they successively arrive at position B, from the needles immediately in advance thereof at C. r 7

Immediately after the sinkers have been raise by the cam 41 .they are engaged by the fabric and a cam 49 on the cam plate 36 and gradually returned to their original level, the cam being inclined at a slight angle with the horizontal ascompared with the sinker raising cam 41.

The walls 24 which constitute the upper portion of the needle cylinder and serve to guide the sinkers, are frictionally and removably seated within tricks or grooves 4 cut in the upper edge of the needle cylinder and may be further retainedin position as by solder at 50, the walls being bevelled at 5| to receive the solder. The upper edges 24' of the walls serve to keep the fabric above and out of the way of the cam plate 46 and constitute the upper vergeof the needle cylinder.

Removable needle walls shown in 5 2, Fig. I, serve to guide the needles in their movements to and from thread taking positions. but are not, of themselves, an essential part; of the present invention. I

In Fig. 8 is shown a modified form of sinker 51 provided with an inclined edge 58, constituting a portion of the upper edge of the sinker throat 59. As the sinkers 51 move forward the inclined edges 58 thereof engage the cam 60, the sinkers thereby riding up the said cam BI] and at a period in the knitting cycle corresponding to that of the cam 41 of the first described form. After the stitch length has been determined by the raising ofthe sinkers, a cam, corresponding to cam 49 of the first described form, engages the lower edges 6| of the throats of the sinkers and causes the sinkers to drop to their first level.

It will be evident by reading the foregoing description that the sinkers are elevated by means of a cam that acts directly or indirectly on the said sinkers.

In both forms of the invention hereinbefore disclosed, the needles and sinkers move in 00- 5% operating knitting waves and in such a manner that the loops or stitches are drawn or measured in part by the movements of the sinkers and in part by movements of the needles in opposition to the movements of the sinkers and simultaneously therewith, the sinkers consequently drawing yarn through the following needles and measuring loops around the bights of the hooks of such needles.

Although in the foregoing description, specific terms have been used, there is no intention thereby to limit the invention to the precise details of construction shown in the drawings and/or specified in the description.

This application is a division of application Ser. No. 415,858, filed December 21, 1929, now Patent 1,952,928, and is a continuation, as to all common subject matter, of application Ser. No. 328,357, filed December 26, 1928, now Patent 1,882,430.

I claim:

1. A knitting machine including two cylinders, needles mounted in one cylinder and adapted to move independently to and from thread engaging positions, a cam carried by the other cylinder, a sinker head in association with the needle cylinder, sinkers mounted therein adapted to move to and from stitch forming positions and provided with throats, the cam carried by the said other cylinder being normally received within the sinker throats and adapted to raise the sinkers as the needles are depressed whereby the combined movements of the needles and sinkers in opposite directions stresses the thread and measures or determines the lengths of stitches.

2. A circular knitting machine comprising two cylinders and a sinker head, one of the cylinders being stationary while the other is rotatable with respect thereto, and one of the said cylinders being provided with a cam, sinkers carried by the sinker head and needles independently mounted in one of the cylinders, the sinkers and needles being adapted to move in cooperative stitch forming waves, the cam carried by one of the cylinders being adapted to actuate the sinkers and move them in a direction to measure the stitch as the needles move to a lower, stitch forming level.

3. A circular knitting machine comprising two cylinders and a sinker head, one of the cylinders being stationary while the other is rotatable with respect thereto, and one of the said cylinders being provided with a. cam, sinkers carried by the sinker head and needless independently mounted in one of the cylinders, the sinkers and needles being adapted to move in cooperative stitch forming waves, the cam carried by one of the cylinders being adapted to actuate the sinkers and move them in a direction to measure the stitch as the needles move to a lower, stitch forming level, walls carried by the needle cylinder and adapted to guide the sinkers in their stitch forming movements, the said walls being recessed in one edge thereof to receive therein the cam carried by the cylinder.

4. A circular knitting machine comprising two cylinders and a sinker head, one of the cylinders being stationary while the other is rotatable with respect thereto, and one of the said cylinders being provided with a cam, sinkers carried by the sinker head and needles independently mounted in one of the cylinders, the sinkers and needles being adapted to move in cooperative stitch formingwaves, the cam carried by one of the cylinders being adapted to actuate the sinkers and move them in a direction to measure the stitch around the bights of the needle hooks.

ROBERT H. LAWSON. 

